Sunday, August 15, 2010

12 comments:

Sorry, Rick, but I will miss it AGAIN this year. It seems that the dates ricochet around from late to early September and are now in conflict with long made family plans. Most any other weekend would be great. Maybe next year.

What if we cut back the quantity of shows and increased the quality ? Auburn, Reno, and maybe one in March. And how about prohibiting any bottles newer than 1900 ? I don't know about you guys, but I'm sick of breezing past all those 1910 tables !!!

Not sure how to reply to the last comment. Maybe the Downieville crew is bustin' ass to put on a memorable bottle show for naught.One thing is for sure… I have never seen Numa’s ass at a Downieville showrs

It wouldn't be fair to exclude bottles from the early 20th Century. Many collectors like those bottles and plenty of "rare Josés" come from the first decades of the "New Century". Used to be I would touch a "map box" or "turn burn", but times they is a changin'. First of all, I ain't gettin' any younger, secondly, them holes are over a hundred, or near to a hundred, years old. Lastly, quantity adds up, too. Cha-ching, but not as fast as early holes can.

Hail, I can recall when diggin' a 100 year old privy meant late '50s, then '60s, '70s, an so on.It's all relative, some'r just better relatives is all.

I guess if you live and dig in the Bay Area, I guess I can where a guy could get extremely spoiled digging the killer early holes. I really wonder sometimes how many early holes are even out there untouched? I mean there are guys on this blog who have been digging heavy since the 1960's, I am myself have only been into the bottles since early 1980, been metal detecting since I was 11 or 12 years old though. Been into the Western glass since probably mid 1990's. Have had some Great bottles and even Dug some killer stuff. I have pulled out of the ground two Historical flask out of Downtown Dago, for down here that is early stuff rarely seen. But, I would dig any hold I find at anytime, even trash pits, I just like to dig. There is a lot of good TOC bottles in every category. Early is King though. DB /Rick

Sorry to everyone that can't make it to the Downieville show, this show has quickly turned into one of the best shows on the circuit for me. Gone are the days of the small, cramped show building. Plenty of room now in the school gym, great atmosphere, the boys put on one heck of a bbq.

The evolving bottle collecting scene.. some things are evolving faster than others.. this might be one direction that a major western show could go. Downieville doesn't have a bottle club, just a few very dedicated collectors/spouses that work hard to put on a great time for collectors. Charge enough for a sales table to cover the cost of the building, bbq and hopefully enough for the sponsers to have two nickles to rub together when it's all over. I don't know if a "private" or for "profit" show could ever work as a major western event. But it would be fun to have a "Western" Expo type show in Reno or Sac. every year.

A Western Expo show in Sacramento would be a terrific idea!!! Personally I like the downieville show at least as well as Auburn, and have gone evry year that it has been put on, there is always some great bottles at Downieville.....Andy

Historically there's never been any show that continually focuses primarily on Western bottles than Downieville. Year after year there's been more awesome Western bottles that have found their way here for both display and sale than any other show, it's always been sort of a mini Western bottle expo. This years theme display is "THE WESTERN BOTTLE ROUND-UP" and what a display this one will be. This is without any question one of our favorite shows of the year, there's nothing like it. Special thanks to the Simi's and the others involved for all their hard work and dedication in making this superb event happen.www.oldwestbottles.com

"What if we cut back the quantity of shows and increased the quality ?"

Assuming that this is what the hobby wants, who is to decide what is, and what is not, quality? Personally, I think this smacks of "government" and is counter productive to the hobby.

Speaking from experience, I know just how difficult it is to build a show from the ground up and how much work is involved, not just on show weekend, but for the entire year leading up to it.

Assuming that this idea were pursued, it would prevent a small group of individuals such as Rick and his co-workers or myself and the Jefferson State gang, from trying something new and building on it's success year, after year, after year?

I say bad idea! Let the collecting public decide which shows are worth attending and which shows are not, and act accordingly. Survival of the fittest, decided by the level attendance and participation, not by a select few deciding what's best for the masses. We've got too much bureaucracy being shoved down our throats already!